Why are you here as a practitioner?

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No, this is not the existential question some of you were dreading (or hoping for). It’s a little simpler than that. However, despite its simplicity, we as practitioners seem to find living true to the answer a struggle.

Why are you here as a practitioner?

In other words: What is your purpose? May I be so bold as to answer this for you? If I didn’t, this would be quite a short piece or a very drawn out conversation. But do please comment (below), I would love to hear your answers.

In my experience working with practitioners over the past 17 years, the answer to this question is rarely the same as those in other professions. Many people work to make money…a lot of money if they can manage it. And so this is primarily their focus.

However, health care practitioners are an odd bunch.

We generally have an ulterior motive, which is to help people improve their lives through improving their physical, mental, emotional and even spiritual wellbeing. Whatever your reasons or focus, this seems to be the underlying drive. You can be a homeopath, herbalist, acupuncturist, physiotherapist, osteopath chiropractor, psychotherapist, massage therapist, naturopath, counselor or energy healer. It really doesn’t matter. Your motivating force is likely to be the same.

If this is the case, then why are we so bad at it?

‘Me?’ you say. ‘I’m not a bad practitioner, I’m highly skilled and effective in my practice. I get great results.’ If you need a second job to pay the bills, then your agrument buckles. Badly. And there are a large number of health practitioners out there with second jobs in order to live.

Our industry needs some tough love right now. You might be the second coming when it comes to your modality. Unfortunately that means didley if you don’t start taking yourself more seriously. What do I mean? Well, let’s go through the list:

Why are you still undervaluing yourself? If you are not asking for a fair consultation fee – one that means you can pay your bills, cover your costs, support your family and live a life that does not involve working a gazillion hours a week – then you need to wake up. I’m not saying you just need to ‘believe in yourself’ and charge $500 an hour, because I find that kind of hype offensive (I’m yet to meet someone who I believe is worth $500 an hour). No, I am talking about recognising your true value and charging it. If you are still charging $60 an hour and giving discounts to people who really don’t need them, you are just treading water until you burn yourself out. Then you become the person you are trying to help.

Why aren’t you telling them about it?If you believe so much in the power of what you do, then why are you procrastinating about marketing your practice? You might lack confidence. You might not be extroverted. These are not excuses, so get out there anyway. If you don’t trumpet what you do from the rooftops then you are not being true to yourself. And please don’t use the “marketing is unethical” line, because it’s not. You are just procrastinating.

Why aren’t you getting help? If you don’t know how to develop and build your practice effectively, then why are you not seeking help to change this? Once upon a time…you didn’t know anything about your modality. But with conviction and perseverance you got there. And now you have knowledge and skills the world is just waiting to experience. The same goes for running your health practice.

Why aren’t you making the effort?

If you are expecting your practice to grow without any kind of effort then are not taking this seriously at all. It’s time to question your motives. Are they real or are you just convincing yourself you want to help people? Because helping people is about getting off the couch and doing something. Sometimes it requires a lot of effort and sometimes it involves things we don’t want to do. But an act of service requires sacrifice. And again I challenge you to live your truth.

So if you are not where you want to be, then it’s time to question why.

Be truthful with the answers because that is all that matters in the end really. Once you have the answers then I urge you to tap into your convictions and get on with making your practice a place that is able to help thousands of people and give you a life of fulfillment – both financially and personally.

If you don’t know how, we are here to help you get there. Our team is constantly building resources for you that can help with every aspect of your practice.